Splurge Dreams

If money were no object...

If all necessities were covered, if all loved ones were taken care of, if I didn't feel guilty about spending money on myself...

One thing I would splurge on would be a personal stylist.

Someone to put together outfits for me. Someone to help me find clothing that's comfortable and looks flattering. Somebody who would take the stress out of shopping (and perhaps let me stay home and just bring stuff for me to try on...) 

Someone to help me figure out what I would wear for different occasions.

Outfits for working from home - something that's comfortable and that I don't have to change out of if I decide to go for a walk. 

Casual outfits for going out.

Slightly less casual outfits for going out.

Dressy outfits for very rare occasions when I need them.

I can dream, right?

Murderer

Our cat Vlad has killed something, again. And ate it.

There are blood smears on the floor. 

Based on the amount of blood - it must have been small.

We haven't heard any commotion and the furniture wasn't disturbed.

It was probably a mouse or a chipmunk.

Vlad looks content, asleep in his pink fluffy bed.

There is nothing left, no tail, or innards, no tufts of fur.

Unless Vlad stuffed a present into someone's shoe. Ugh.

This is what's it's like, to live with a killer. One always has to be weary of finding bits and pieces of dead things.

Speaking of killers...

There is a herd of deer that hangs out on our street. We see them every single day - they travel from yard to yard, eating everything in their path. I think this is a perfect idea for a horror film. The Herd. You come out to get the paper in the morning - and they are there. You drive you children home from swim practice - and they are there. You walk your child to the bus stop - and they are there. Always, standing there, watching with those eerie eyes, unafraid, uncontained, twitching their ears and tails, signaling to each other.

If you think they are harmless bambis - look up the statistics on deer-related fatal car crashes. They lie in wait, and jump onto the road (usually after dark) in front of your car, like absolute maniacs. 

If you were to write a horror story about something seemingly innocent and mundane - what would it be?

Lists from Orbital

I am (slowly) making my way through Orbital by Samantha Harvey. The more I read it, the more I like it. This is not a book I can rush through. 

One of the astronauts composes various lists - here are a few, adapted from the book (I used 3 from the book and added a few of my own in italics):

Irritating things

• Tailgaters
• Peeing in space when in a hurry
• Whispering people
• Random dirty glasses, bowls, and cups left around the house
• People not responding when you say "dinner time"
• Vague answers

Reassuring things:

• The earth below
• Mugs with sturdy handles
• Trees
• Smell of fresh bread
• Hugs from dad
• Music by JS Bach

Surprising things:

• The imagination
• A blue pen with red lid
• Children in bow ties
• People 
• Toddlers speaking in full sentences
• Finding my kids' stuff in lost-and-found

Maddening things:

• Non-opening windows
• Powerlessness
• Fire alarm tests
• Kids spitting out food 
• Bad traffic when running late
• Somebody saying "I told you so!"

Anticipated things:

• O-nigiri
• Slamming a door in anger
• Sore feet
• First cup of coffee in the morning
• The taste of chocolate after unwrapping a piece of candy
• Beautiful foliage in the fall

Do you find any of the categories harder than the others? 

For me, it was "surprising things". 

Weekend Report

The weekend did not feel particularly productive. And yet, a lot of stuff got done.

Friday:

• C's school dance followed by a sleepover at a friend's house
• The rest of us indulged in takeout for dinner and then watched 6th Sense together.

Saturday:

• H: dive practice
• C: swim practice and soccer
• Everyone except H went out for a nice walk on a nearby trail (C brought a friend)
• E and I went to get our driver licenses (I needed mine renewed and E needed to get the official driver's license done after passing the test a few weeks ago). I was worried that it would take the whole day, but things actually moved pretty quickly once we got through the initial >1 hour line to get into the place. Overall, maybe 1.5 hours? (not bad at all, considering how busy it gets on Saturdays at PennDOT)
• Food shopping + putting everything away 
• Friends were supposed to come over but they cancelled. So... we had a free Saturday evening.
• We figured it would be fun to have a family celebration of our 20th anniversary - we decided to go out for some Ethiopian food. Husband and I first tried Ethiopian food back in Chicago around the time we got engaged. It seemed like a good adventure to have - venture out to Philly and do something that brings back memories from the days when we were young and fearless (and also it has been ages wince we've had Ethiopian food) :)
• The first place we got to - the owner was closing it up just as came to the door. They ran out of injera. I decided it was all for the best - the street had piles of garbage and H spotted a rat running along the sidewalk. My husband did a quick phone-reconnaissance and found another Ethiopian restaurant. It was only a few blocks away, but the neighborhood was much nicer and the restaurant was open and had tables available.
• The food was good!!!! The flavors were just as I remembered. Kids loved it. Husband and E were so happy - they had their fill (they both got to the point that they could eat no more - this doesn't happen too often). C liked the food and while she was cautious about trying new flavors (she usually doesn't like things that are too spicy) - she had fun. H had a few moments of freak-out because of people sticking fingers into food (there was a common platter with different thing piled on that everyone shared in, using pieces of injera bread so scoop up the food).

Sunday:

• Hebrew School for C and H
• I did a solo walk in the park while E and husband went out on a bike ride
• We took the kids to get flu + covid shots
• H has a babysitting job that she needed a ride to and from
• Laundry
• Returned jeans that E didn't like
• E made Shepard's Pie for dinner
• C had a playdate at a friend's house

Overall: while I did no cleaning, minimal cooking, no baking, and no laundry-folding, there was important time-consuming stuff that got done (licenses! vaccinations!)

What did you like about your weekend? What do you wish was different?

Books, Shows, Concerts, Etc

Reading now: The Staircase in the Woods by Chuck Wendig

    Not sure how I feel about it yet.

Also reading now: The Orbital by Samantha Harvey

    I started it a while back and just couldn't get into it. Took about a 6-months break. Now reading it again in an on-again, off-again sort of way. It is growing on me. It is beautiful and strangely compelling - but requires a certain mindset (and a certain degree of alertness and willingness to be fascinated by people floating around in space without any obvious plot).

Recently finished and absolutely loved: The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier. 

    It was just the right amount of realism, human stories, science fiction (sort of), and the ending - oh my goodness, that was absolute perfection. I don't think I've ever experienced "breaking the 4th wall" to that extent while reading. Highly recommend it. Very thought-provoking (what does it mean to be human? what is reality? do we truly care?).

Watching with family: The Good Place. 

    Just started season 2. Loving it. Kids love it, too.

Recently finished watching with family: Schitt's Creek. 

    We loved it so much. H and C want to be Moira and Alexis for Halloween.

Also watching (by myself): The Magicians. 

    It's not really my cup of tea, and yet I keep watching. There are parallels with Narnia, except this world is pretty twisted (while still managing to be full of wonder). I appreciate it because I really, really do not like Narnia but I love the idea of being able to visit your favorite imaginary world (and this world turning out to be not quite what you imagined...)

Concert: Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Symphony No. 1. It was inspiring, and fun, and an absolute joy. 

In Search of Neverland

I would really like a break from being a grown-up.

I would like to have no responsibilities, for, say 2 weeks? No "what's for breakfast/lunch/dinner" (but I may be willing to help with clean-up). No shopping lists. No complicated mental gymnastics to make sure kids get to their schools/activities/lessons.

I do not want to make my bed.

I do not want to pick up a million of cups and glasses left all over the house. Or socks. Or books.

I do not want to remind kids to clean up after themselves.

I do not want to exercise.

I do not want to pay the bills, or set up medical appointments, or call the repair person to fix the kitchen lights.

I would like to eat snacks, read something for fun, and take naps. I would really like someone else to take care of meals and all kid-related activities. I would like the house to be magically tidy and organized (and pretty, too) without any effort from me.

I would also really like fresh bread  to just appear at my house every morning. 

That's pretty much it.

Too much to ask?

20 Years

This September, my husband and I had our 20th anniversary. 

You know what we did?

Nothing.

Because it was on a Thursday, and we were exhausted, and we didn't plan anything in advance.

We are OK with that. But maybe we can do something special even if it ends up being in October or November - I'm thinking an experience-type thing..  Going on a tour of something or other? Or maybe a haunted house? Or a bike ride somewhere that's not too hilly? 

What's your favorite anniversary experience?